Pivoted valve for narcosis apparatus



Jan. 25, 1955 K. svENsoN 2,700,529

PIVOTED VALVE FOR NARCOSIS APPARATUS Filed March l2, 1952 1 N VEN TOR ,YA/a7- VEA/SON,

BY MBQW ATTORNEY United States Patent O Pivoran vALvn Fon NARCosIs APPARATUS Knut Svensn-n, Lidingo, Sweden, assigner to Svenska Aktiebolaget Gasaccumulator, Lidingo (near Stockhelm), Sweden Application March 12, 1952, Serial No. 276,197

3 Ciaims. (Cl. 251-177) The present invention refers to a valve particularly suited for medical purposes and to a narcosis apparatus containing such a valve.

Prior valves of narcosis or breathing devices or the like have usually comprised gaskets of organic material, which have rendered sterilization of the elements of these devices ditiicult. This is because the heat or the solution used for the sterilization process is apt to influence the organic material and reduce the sealing capacity thereof.

The use of the ordinary plug type of valve in medical devices requires extremely precise grinding of the plug if satisfactory tightness is to be obtained. lt is therefore only with great difficulty that such a device can be constructed with as small a leakage as is required 1n narcosis apparatus.

During surgical operations, in the course of which air and anesthetic is supplied to the patient from a narcosis apparatus, an interruption of the spontaneouslbreathing may occur, and it may be necessary to have immediate recourse to artificial breathing in order to avoid danger to the patients life. It is therefore desirable to provide 1n a narcosis apparatus a valve answering to the requirements mentioned above, by means of which an artificial breathing device may be switched into connection with the breathing mask.

It is an object of the invention, therefore, to provide a simple and dependable valve usable for gases and practically free of leakage, which does not comprlse any non-metallic elements. a

Another object of the invention is to provide a narcosls apparatus, which enables momentary switching between a plurality of gas supply devices connected to a valve forming part of the apparatus, which is in its turn con nected to a breathing mask.

The valve according to the invention comprises a casing, a valve chamber in the casing having at least one aperture, and an adjustable, resilient member 1n the chamber, which is adapted in one of its positions to close an aperture.

In a preferred embodiment, the aperture or apertures are positioned in a cylindrical portion of the Wall of the chamber and the resilient member is rotatable on the axis of the cylindrical portion. The resilient member may comprise a curved leaf spring, which is adapted to press against the chamber wall. The leaf spring may be supported on a cylindrical supporting member, which is disposed coaxially and rotatably in a cylindrical valve chamber. The leaf spring may be supported by means of a pair of radial slots in the supporting member, one end of the leaf spring being inserted into each slot. The apertures may be three in number and the resilient member be adjustable so as to cover either any one of the apertures or any one of a pair of the apertures.

The invention comprises, further, a narcosis apparatus having a valve constructed in accordance with the above. In a preferred embodiment, the valve is connected to a breathing mask and is adapted to establish a connection between, on the one hand, the breathing mask, and, on the other hand, a selected one of a plurality of devices connected to the valve.

The essential constructonal features of the va1ve ac cording to the invention are illustrated in the drawing, Fig. 1 of which shows a longitudinal section of such a valve 2,700,529 Patented Jan. 25, 1955 along the line I of Fig. 2, and Fig. 2 of which shows a cross-section along the line Il of Fig. 1.

As shown in the figures, the valve casing comprises a base 1, a cover 2 and a cylindrical wall 3. The interior of the casing forms a chamber 4, the walls of which have a number of apertures 5, 6, 7. Of these, the aperture 7 is connected with a breathing mask, not shown, and the apertures S and 6 each with a device for suppling air or anesthetic. For instance, the aperture 5 may be connected with a narcosis device of a known kind and the aperture 6 with an artificial breathing device.

The chamber 4 contains a valve member 8, which is fast on a shaft 9 rotatably supported in the casing. The shaft 9 has a pin 11 journalled in a boring 10 n the cover 2 and a' pin 12 journalled in the base 1. Fastened to the pin 12 is a handle 13, by means of which the valve member 8 can be turned on its axis.

A leaf spring 14 is inserted into radial slots 1S and 16 in the valve member 8 in such a way as to press resiliently against the cylindrical wall 3 of the chamber. In the position shown in Fig. 2 the leaf spring 14 covers the aperture 6, the two apertures 5 and 7 being left uncovered so as to communicate mutually. Through turning of the valve member 8 by means of the handle 13 the spring can be made to cover the aperture 5, whereby a connection is established between the apertures 6 and 7.

A pair of pegs 17 and 18 are attached in the valve member 8 and limit the movement thereof, as is apparent from Fig. 2, so that the aperture 6 will be covered by the spring when the peg 17 contacts a bolt 19, which is arranged to attach the cover to the valve casing. When the aperture 5 is covered by the leaf spring the peg 18 instead contacts the bolt 19.

The cover is attached, besides by the bolt 19, also by a bolt 20 diametrically opposed to the former. The bolts 19 and 20 are threaded into the base 1, which is in its turn threaded to the wall 3. The heads of the bolts rest on packing washers 21, which may consist of copper or aluminium. The shaft 9 has a conical section 23, which is held by means of a spring 22 between the cover 2 and the valve member 8 in tight abutment against a corresponding conical bevel in the base 1. This reduces as much as possible leakage of the gas around the pin 12.

1t is obvious that the invention is not restricted to the embodiment shown but is capable of variation within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A valve comprising a valve chamber having at least one aperture in the peripheral wall thereof, a valve member mounted movably in the chamber so as to press against the peripheral wall of the chamber, said valve member comprising, a supporting member movable in said chamber, said supporting member having a pair of slots therein, a thin resilient leaf spring having the ends thereof disposed in said slots and abutting the ends of said slots, said spring being bowed outwardly to engage and press against the peripheral wall of said valve chamber to conform to the contours thereof, and adapted to cover said aperture.

2. A valve as claimed in claim l wherein said supporting member is cylindrical and is disposed coaxially with and rotatable in the cylindrical valve chamber.

3. A valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein bolts pass through said valve chamber to serve as stops limiting movement of said supporting member.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 70,511 Bourden Nov. 5, 1867 798,852 Weisell Sept. 5, 1905 806.679 Kieser Dec. 5, 1905 1,166,571 Bard Jan. 4, 1916 1,176,886 Ermold Mar. 28, 1916 2,105,331 Rasmussen Jan. l1, 1938 2,164,057 Fink June 27, 1939 2,431,593 Strike NOV. 25, 1947 

